Eatonville

This pictures ran in a 1989 edition of the Dispatch. The caption reads:

Logging quickly became the main industry in the area, supporting a number of mills in Eatonville,Alder, Elbe, Ashford,Nationaland many other more short-lived communities. When this photo was taken trees were felled without the benefit of chainsaws and forests were cleared wtihout the aid of builldozers or logging trucks. These men worked in an industry where injury was a common acquaintance and death no stranger.

On that last note, you can see why so many were injured. Safety equipment had yet to be developed.

This press shot was taken for a newspaper story in 1971 and captures how Mountain Rainier towers over the town.

Lots of people have asked me, “Aren’t you afraid to live so close to an active mountain?” Actually, it has never crossed my mind. But for those of who are a little nervous, the mountain is monitored 24/7 for seismic activity. If you’re curious how the state would alert people if anything should start shaking and the evacuation plans, just check out the Mt Rainier Volcanic Hazards Response Plan.

And, if you’d like to purchase the original of this picture, it’s on sale at ebay.

Check this out — Eatonville on September 1, 1946. And compare it against this shot taken in August 2010, by Bob Walter when he was up with Steve Van Cleve flying around.

It’s not exactly the same angle, but you can still spot some of the landmarks. And although there has been a lot built since 1946, you’ll notice in the right hand corner of the older shot, the Eatonville Lumber Mill in full production, which is no longer there.

If you want to get your hands on the original of the 1946 photo, you can purchase it on ebay. The other, you’ll have to ask Bob.

I’ve wondered what draws people to hardship. This picture shows the Pioneer Hotel and what Eatonville looked liked in the 1890s. These people came here to start farms and build a town. Sounds good, but starting a farm then meant clearing lands with a hand saw and a horse and building your own house and barn. And that’s BEFORE you ever got to farming. Heck, I feel taxed if I have to clear branches after a storm, and I own a chain saw.

It’s hard imagining taking your family out in the wilderness where there are no schools or amenities, especially when there were towns like Tacoma, not all that far away. But they did it.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m very glad they made the trek, but I’d really like to talk to some of them today and find out what they were thinking.

Eatonville has been having a 4th of July parade for as long as there as there’s been an Eatonville. Here is 4th of July when the town was young, Mashell Ave. was still a dirt road and electricity was a new thing. But just like today, people are lining the streets to celebrate the 4th.

This shot of Mashell is looking toward the high school (which hadn’t been built yet). The building on the left is where the parking lot next to Kirk’s Pharmacy sits.

In 1936 kids were selling subscriptions to the Eatonville Dispatch in hopes of winning a bike. The little guy pictured is my uncle, George Van Cleve, who would later run Van Cleve Motors. Unfortunately, he didn’t win the bike that year, but my brother won one 40 years later.

Eatonville, looking down on Mashell, with Mount Rainier in the background

This early shot of Eatonville shows a big of the downtown with Mount Rainier in the background.

Native American Legends
Native Americans saw mountains and male or female. It turns out that depending on the legend, Mount Rainier could be either.

“The Cowlitzhad two legends . . . First, Mount Rainier (Takhoma) and Mount Adams (Pahto) were the wives of Mount St. Helens (Seuq). A terrible quarrel ensued between the wives and during the course of it, Takhoma stepped on all of Pahto’s children and killed htem. The two women turned into mountains.

“Under the next legend, Mount Rainier and Mount St. Helens were once separated by an inland sea. They had a fierce fight over who would rule the region, and hurled hot rocks at each other, shot flames form their sujmits and rained ash on the water between them. The birds finally intervened and took Rainier far inland, then peace settled on the land again.” (Per The Big Fact Book About Mount Rainier.)

As soon as there were automobiles, Eatonville welcomed them. Here’s a shot of the Universal Motor Company that sold Fords. You can barely see the cars inside, but you can easily see the top-of-the-line tires of the day.

Here are a few interesting Ford facts:1908 – The first 1909 Model T was built at Ford’s Piquette Ave. Plant1909 – The Model T came in first place in the New York to Seattle race, 4100 miles in 22 days and 55 minutes averaging 7.75 mph.1910 – Model T production moved to Ford’s Highland Park Assembly Plant, also known as the ‘Crystal Palace’ because of the vast expanse of windows.1913 – Ford implements the moving assembly line at its Highland Park Assembly Plant, reducing chassis build time from 14 hours per car to just 1.5 hours1914 – Henry Ford is alleged to have proclaimed, “You can have and color you want, as long as it’s black.” From 1914 to 1925 the Model T was only available in black.1917 – The 2 millionth Model T Ford rolled off the line on June 14th.1919 – Ford introduced an electric starter for the Model T which meant owners no longer had to crank the engine to start it.1921 – The 5 millionth Model T Ford rolled off the line on May 28th.1924 – The 10 millionth Model T Ford rolled off the line on June 4th. Famed ford racing driver Frank Kulick drove it from New York to San Francisco on the Lincoln Highway, the only coast-to-coast highway at the time. (Per www.modelt.ca)

The logging business was what got Eatonville up and running. Here are five fabulous shots of logging in the early days and the use of the steam donkey. It looks primitive today, but it was a huge step up from using horses and cattle to drag the logs.

These pictures are loaded with details. Click on any of them to take a closer look.

I’m not sure where in the wood these photos were shot, or the men in them. So, if you recognize anyone please let me know.